“What I really want,” I said to a writer friend, “what I was going to request for my birthday this year, is to go on a writers’ retreat.” “Why don’t you?” she replied. She told me about her recent solo retreat, a 5-day Airbnb rental 45 minutes from home. I thought about this every day …

Lines from Charles Bukowski’s poem “so you want to be a writer” pop up on my Twitter feed daily. And they always make me mad. unless it comes unasked out of yourheart and your mind and your mouthand your gut,don’t do it.if you have to sit for hours staring at your computer screenor hunched over …

So often, when I write, I’m simultaneously convincing myself not to write. Nobody will care about what you say. Somebody else has already said it better. You’re sharing too much and you’ll regret it. You’re not sharing enough so what you’re writing is insignificant. Your thoughts will bore people. You’re not expert enough in the …

Final thoughts on Grub Street’s Muse and the Marketplace writer’s conference. Two things I loved: it was ego-free and truly inclusive, reflecting the ethos of Grub Street itself. Grub Street has a philosophy that everyone who writes is a writer, and all our stories need to be heard. Some people are more experienced or have …

Last day of Grub Street’s Muse and the Marketplace conference. I learned so much over the past three days and walked away with a wealth of resources, books to read, and advice to absorb. First session: Essentials of Flash Fiction and Nonfiction, Tyrese Coleman Taught by an editor of a flash fiction journal, this session …

Day 2 of the Grub Street “Muse and the Marketplace” writers’ conference! Keynote: Writing in a Time of Upheaval, Stacey d’Erasmo An academic examination of art by Gwendolyn Brooks, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and others whose style changed dramatically after some historical or personal event. At the end she explained that upheaval in her own personal life …

My first Muse and the Marketplace conference! I became a Grub Street member last year. Their annual 3-day writers’ conference is right here in downtown Boston. Here are my thoughts on the first day. Keynote: Luis Alberto Urrea gave an inspiring speech about how everyday moments and small details are sacred — especially ones that …

I did it! I won my first NaNoWriMo. (Which you win by writing 50,000 words between November 1st and 30th.) And I now have a first draft of my very first novel. It’s 105 single-spaced pages in Word, which is longer than anything I have ever written.  It needs a LOT of work, but it …

Julia Cameron says to write morning pages. I take morning walks. So I will write evening pages. I think she also says never to read your morning pages, and she definitely says not to type them, but I am publishing this, so there. I have no plan for what to write. I will just spend …